Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto, but I do own a Naruto plushie of Hinata. I also do not own the cover; I found it online using google.
I do love this story. It came to me when I was... Oh wait, what was I doing then? I'm so forgetful, ya know!
Edit: Remember, this was made before you-know-who(I'm not gonna spoil it!) got hit by giant toothpicks and died, and I couldn't edit him out of the story because he becomes fairly important, so I'm very sorry about that. Please don't flame about it! Many changes have been made, so I hope it's a little better now ;) Also, I'm sorry it's taking so long to update all my stories. Thank you for staying with me for so long, as I am having many problems in my life currently and I can't always find the inspiration to pick up where I left off so long ago. After I finish revising all my fanfictions as best I can, I'll get back to updating more regularly!
"I WON'T LET YOU HURT ANYONE ELSE!"
That was the combined cry of Naruto and Sasuke as they attacked Madara. In a single synchronized movement, they both threw their hands forward, flinging an Amaterasu-coated Rasenshuriken with a mini Bijuu Dama inside at him. It had taken them many hours to charge, and cost the army many lives, but they had done it. They had done it! Madara didn't even have a chance to react before the attack hit him full force.
An explosion, powerful enough to send most of the army stumbling backwards. Then, nothing.
Silence blanketed the clearing, as what had just transpired slowly sank in. The empty shell of what was left of the crazed Uchiha's body fell to the ground with a heavy thud. For what felt like eternity - and yet no more than a heartbeat - it stayed this way, until one shinobi began a victories cheer. Another joined him. Then another. Almost instantaneously, the whole world seemed to be filled with the sounds of joy and excitement. They grinned, throwing there hands in the air. However, two voices were missing from the excited clamor.
"Naruto-kun!,"Hinata cried, pushing her way through the crowd to the front. She stared at the boy who had saved them all - who had stood before them, radiating hope and courage. A beacon of light in the darkest of times. He was facing them with a grin; the same grin that had always promised that everything would be alright. However, Hinata was not fooled; she had already seen that encouraging smile enough times to see right through a fake. Something was very, very wrong. Blood suddenly began dribbling down from his hairline and spilling from his lips. The world seemed to slow down as he wobbled for a moment, falling backwards to the rocky ground below with a harsh thud. Hinata felt her breath catch in her throat, but it did nothing to silence the scream that tore from her, or stop her from increasing her struggles to get to him. Finally, she reached him, dropping to her knees beside him. She desperately gripped his torn jacket, her head instantly dropping to his chest, completely ignoring the sticky, heavy feeling of his blood staining her hair and soaking into her clothes. He wasn't moving at all. Why wasn't he moving? Was he gathering Sage Chakra so they could heal him faster?
The cheering ended abruptly as the army caught sight of their savior's state. Everyone was frozen with shock; no one could believe that their light of hope was dying out. The only sound came from Hyuga heiress's cries. "Get up, Naruto... Come on, you have to... Please stand up!,"she cried repeatedly,"Please, Naruto! You're the one who changed me - who made me who I am! I-I can't lose you, so please!" Sakura pushed her way through the crowd, not wasting a single moment in dropping herself at his other side. "Let me see him!,"she snapped. The fury in her words stung, but Hinata knew it wasn't meant to be directed toward her. She lifted her head from Naruto's chest, reluctantly releasing his jacket to allow Sakura to see the wound. From the pale, horrified look that crossed over her face, it couldn't be good.
Hinata cupped her hands together at her chest, head bowed. Please, Kami-sama, let him be okay... Please, please, please... He never deserved this, he's never once sinned, he's never once done you wrong! You've taken so much from him; please don't take his life, too... She closed her light lavender eyes only for a second as she prayed. The feel of a warm, familiar hand wrapping around her own snapped her from her trance, but as she opened her eyes, the feeling vanished. Hinata swallowed back another sob, glancing at Sakura, who was desperately shaking him, green chakra flowing from her trembling hands. "Get up, you stupid knucklehead! You can't give up now! You haven't become Hokage! You haven't even brought Sasuke-kun home!" Her voice cracked as she spoke and her eyes held the glassy sheen of tears. The green glow faded for a moment, but Sakura forced more chakra out with a growl, sweat dripping down her face as she struggled to keep using the glow alive, but it was too late. Too much chakra had been spent in this battle, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not force something that wasn't there. The glow faded, and the pinkette wobbled for a moment, barely keeping herself from hitting the ground. Frustrated, sorrowful tears poured down her face, leaving trails in the dirt and blood coating her skin. He was gone. Naruto was gone.
Hinata raised her hands over her mouth, her eyes widening, already expecting what was coming next. "H-He's dead,"Sakura chocked out, her voice bitter with resentment and frustration,"I couldn't do anything. I couldn't do anything!" Hinata stood frozen for a moment, her bangs covering her eyes, before looking up and smiling weakly. "Y-Your joking, right? This isn't funny Sakura-san,"She added the last part with slight exasperation, unable to believe that Naruto - the Naruto who had always beat the odds, had always stood back up - was gone. Sakura shook her head in reply, hiccuping as her tears sliding down her face, landing on Naruto's cheek and rolling down it's whiskered surface. He didn't so much as twitch. He was dead... He would never smile at them again, never promise them that anything was possible, that all they had to do was stand back up and keep fighting. He was gone. He had lied. He hadn't gotten back up. He couldn't die; he hadn't reached his dream yet! Hinata felt thick, hot tears roll down her face, and her heart seemed to skid to a stop. Hinata couldn't really blame it. Naruto had always been the one that kept her heart alive and beating, the one to make it skip and jump and race with his presence alone. Without him, it had no more reason to keep going.
Hinata felt her vision darken at the edges. She had finally reached her limits: physically, mentally, and emotionally. The world spun for a moment and wind rushed past her as the ground grew closer, but before she could hit the rocky surface, careful pale arms caught her and pulled her into gentle hug. Taking a moment to steady herself, Hinata shifted to get a better look at her cousin, who had caught her mid-fall. He was knelt beside her, his pale eyes dark and dull as he glanced at Naruto, his grip tightening almost skies grew gray and rain began pouring from the sky. Even the gods are mourning... Hinata thought, closing her eyes and pushing her face into Neji's shoulder, her tears soaking his Jonin vest.
Slowly, shinobi of all villages gathered into an enormous circle around the war hero. There was no more 'Kumo' or 'Konoha' or 'Suna'. Now, they were only shinobi, mourning as one of their greatest lost his life for all of them. They moved back a few feet, making room to let the boy's closest friends get to him. Gaara was the first to get to them, a worried and depressed Temari and Kankuro behind him. The red-head seemed to stay strong and emotionless on his way to his best friend's side, but... As he reached the blond, a sob racked his body, and he did something he hadn't done in a long time before the war(1). He broke down into tears, falling down beside Naruto. His arm instantly reached up to cover his face in an attempt to continue to be strong for his country. Not that they blamed him, it seemed. Naruto had, after all, saved Gaara's life and changed him into the strong, worthy Kazekage he was now.
"Is this what it felt for you... when I died?,"Gaara whispered quietly; Hinata barely made out the whole sentence. Her heart twisted in pain and understanding for him; he had been the change in both of their lives that had made everything better - had pushed them to make everything better and grow stronger because of it. He had been their hope. Their pillar. Temari carefully helped Gaara stand up, sending a few parting words to Naruto before backing up. "Thank you for saving my little brother,"Kankuro whispered before following.
Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Lee stood around Naruto, each would mutter a few words to their friend. Shikamaru sighed to himself sadly. "The night just gained it's brightest star." The words seemed to echo for Hinata, sneaking into her mind and overriding her every thought. What had the night done to earn his bright glow? The sky didn't deserve to see the light that was Naruto. Even the sun would pale in comparison to his beauty and happiness and absolute warmth.
A far-too-familiar presence struck Hinata's senses and sent shivers down her spine. She hesitantly allowed her lavender eyes to wander upward, widening as they landed on the semi-translucent figure of her love. His lips moved as they he were talking - no, screaming - at them, yet no sounds came out. No way... No way! Hinata felt her breath speed up and her heart race as she pushed herself away from her brother, desperately trying to get a better look. Was she going insane? Most of her friends were too swallowed by grief to notice her odd behavior, but those who had sent her odd, worried glances. How can you not see him?! He's right there! Maybe she really was going insane.
Before she could voice these sentiments, the figure shattered like glass, each fragment giving off a brilliant ethereal glow before dissolving away, unaffected by the pouring rain. A small shard floated towards Hinata before shattering into smaller and smaller golden particles, and the Hyuga heiress couldn't help but marvel at the bittersweet, yet beautiful, deaths of each piece of pure warmth and light. Each one seemed so many time brighter in her blurry eyes.
A wave of dizziness washed over Hinata for the second time that day, and she duly noted that her cousin had quickly moved to catch her once again, wrapping her into a tight hug that, usually, she would have found strange and uncharacteristic. But, now, that seemed irrelevant. Even her mind was trying to tell her Naruto was gone. He was gone, and he would never return. He had shattered, and his light no longer belonged on this planet. Hinata gripped Neji's jonin vest tightly, tears running in streams down her cheeks and blending with the tears of the clouds and the gods that rained down on them.
Sakura had given in to grief, and was laying with her head rested on Naruto's chest, body trembling with sobs. Through blurry eyes, Hinata noticed Sasuke standing beside Sakura, looking near tears himself. Iruka was holding his arm over his eyes to hide his face. Neji was staring off into space, his eyes blank and empty and his grip around Hinata tightening ever-so-slightly. Tsunade shut her eyes tightly, using sheer willpower not to cry for her pseudo grandson. Gaara was surrounded by his two siblings and past teacher, both trying their hardest to comfort him. Shino was standing with the other four boys beside Naruto as they said there last words. Kakashi stood next to Iruka with the same, distant expression on his face that Neji wore.
The next day, all Great Hidden Villages gathered for the funeral of Naruto Uzumaki... The hero of the Fourth Great Shinobi War.
SAKURA POV-
Depression was coursing through Sakura's veins like ice as she stalked in the direction of the funeral, her emerald eyes cloudy and distant. A presence appeared behind her, but she made no move to show she had noticed it. So what if someone had come to kill her? At least she would be with Naruto. "Yo... Sakura." Sakura turned sharply, her eyes narrowing at the source of the familiar voice. The icy depression was swiftly being overtaken by a sudden, passionate rage. How dare he return now, after everything he had done. "You,"She spat out venomously,"You! Get away from me! IF YOU HAD JUST STAYED HERE IN KONOHA, THIS WOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED! NARUTO WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SO DESPERATE TO GROW STRONGER! HE WOULDN'T HAVE STRUGGLED TO TRAIN EVERY DAY AND EVERY NIGHT TO BRING YOU HOME WHEN WE ALL KNEW YOU WOULD NEVER RETURN! HE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THE WORLD'S LAST HOPE AND HE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO FIGHT ALONE LIKE HE DID AND- And... And Naruto... Naruto would be..." Sakura's shouting slowly faded with her rage, her puffy, red eyes becoming glassy once again.
Sasuke had not said a single word throughout her angry tirade, his eyes shaded by his bangs. He finally lifted his gaze to meet her's, and she couldn't contain a small gasp of surprise. His eyes were darker than usual, but not with hatred, blindness, or revenge, but... sorrow? Guilt? If she hadn't known the raven so well, she might have mistaken the red streaks beneath his eyes for tear tracks, or the pinkness around them for puffiness from crying.
"That dobe used up all his chakra in that last battle...,"He whispered, sounding like he was struggling to keep his stoic tone. He was obviously not here just to tease the pinkette, and she could see that. What, then? He jumped down from the fence he had appeared on, landing quietly beside Sakura. He had donned a pitch black outfit, not unlike the one he had worn to the Sandaime's funeral. So... He was going to attend Naruto's funeral, then. Guilt clawed at Sakura's insides painfully, dissipating any remnants of her previous anger. How could she have been so stupid? He had changed during the war - he was their Sasuke again - and Naruto had been his best friend. Of course he would attend the blond's funeral. He waved his hand in goodbye, disappearing in a burst of leaves. Sakura reached out her hand to stop him - to apologize for yelling - but there was nothing were he once stood. He had already vanished.
Guessing where he was headed, she speed up, racing into the funeral home. The raven was sitting in a chair he had pulled up beside Naruto's open coffin, his head in his hands and his eyes closed tightly. He was muttering something under his breath, though Sakura couldn't make out what. She didn't interrupt him, stepping back to the edge of the room to give him a moment, a lump growing in her throat as she watched silently. Slowly, the raven stood up from his seat, slipping a long, black strip of fabric with a metal adorned with the Konoha symbol attached to it into Naruto's hands. Naruto's headband. Of course Naruto would want to be buried with his headband; it had been his identity, in a way, and he never went anywhere without it.
How ironic, Sakura pondered in a bittersweet silence. Sasuke believed for so long that the only way to sever any connection to Konoha and assure he wouldn't return was if those closest to him died, and yet it is the death of the one that knew him the best is what brings him back. Sasuke stood there in a stiff, mournful silence, his eyes distant and dark. Sakura felt her guilt boil painfully, her stomach churning uncomfortably as tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. She couldn't stop thinking about how she could have saved him, and that it was her fault he was dead. All her fault. And then she had gone so far as to blame Sasuke for it! How low could she get? Her guilt only grew as she caught sight of the slightly watery glint in Sasuke's eyes. She had blamed Sasuke, only hours after he had had a change of heart, for the death of his best friend. She couldn't even imagine...
All she wanted to do was hug him, to wipe away his tears, and to apologize, because that expression did not belong on his face. But it had been her to put it there in the first place, so she had no right. At the same time, though, she wished he would turn around and do the same for her, because she didn't want to be alone, and she didn't want to think about how it was all her fault, and she wanted to be told she was wrong and it wasn't, and the thought was so incredibly selfish she nearly gagged at it herself. She didn't deserve comfort - not when it had been her fault to begin with. And definitely not from Sasuke.
They stayed like that, eyes glistening with unshed tears and hearts heavy with guilt, until the door of the funeral home creaked opened, and Naruto's closest friends walked in, each looking sleep-deprived and empty. Team 10, the first ones to arrive, instantly jumped into battle-ready positions, nearly scaring Sakura into her own. It hadn't taken more than half a second for the rest of those that had come to do the same, each glaring scathingly at Sasuke. Sakura's eyes widened as she realized they still didn't really believe that Sasuke had changed at all.
"What are you here for, Uchiha?,"Shikamaru spat out, having ended up at the front of the group. Sakura had never seen him looking so livid before. Sasuke, who had remained with his back facing the ninja, slowly turned around. Sakura felt her heart squeeze painfully as she got a full look at his face in the odd, ethereal lighting flowing through the stain-glass windows. From the shocked looks of everyone else, they hadn't expected it either. Tears had finally spilled from his eyes, rolling down his cheeks in streams. The skin around his eyes was raw and red, his eyes themselves glassy and dull. His usually perfect hair was messy and coated in dried blood she hadn't noticed in her blind rage, and he obviously hadn't taken care of himself or gotten treatment after the war had ended, if the deep cuts on his face and arms were anything to go by. He looked like an absolute wreck. Everyone with a shred of common sense could see he had come to see his best friend.
Sadly, Kiba lacked that.
"He asked you a question, asshole!,"Kiba growled, taking a few steps forward. Sakura moved to intercept him, but Shikamaru had already done so, holding his arm out in front of him. The genius shot a meaningful look at Sasuke, who nodded, glancing one last time at Naruto's body before moving towards the group. They parted silently(Kiba had to be dragged out of the way, of course), allowing the raven to stumble out, disappearing in a swirl of leaves moments later.
Sakura could only watch as the only other member of Team 7 vanished. No, that was wrong... They were no longer Team 7...
Team 7 had Naruto.
HINATA POV-
Hinata had listened silently the entire funeral, her eyes dull as she followed the carriage to the future grave sight and her heart squeezing painfully as she watched the dirt be layered over and over again, plunging her light and hope into the eternal darkness of the earth's depths. She had wanted to look away - to block herself from the reality that he was dead, because there was no way that was possible - and at one point in her life, she might have. Now, though, she couldn't bring herself to tear her eyes away from the coffin, even as the soft earth completely hid it from view.
While only close friends were allowed into the funeral home to say goodbye to him, such as the rest of Konoha 12(No, not Konoha 10. He had trusted Sasuke when he had said he changed, so she would too. And she would always count him as one of them, no matter what), Gaara and his siblings, former teachers, and of course the Fifth Hokage and Konohamaru's team, the burial itself was open to anyone who wanted to pay their respects to the now-famous hero. And, of course, he got nothing less than a hero deserved. The entire village, along with thousands upon thousands of shinobi that had participated in the war, had attended the burial before they had left, including the Kage themselves. No, Hinata realized. Especially the Kage. He had somehow managed to worm his way deeply into all of their hearts, and no face was left without tears.
Eventually, the burial ended, and the clearing slowly emptied of most of it's occupants. Hinata didn't move, standing quietly with her pale eyes still fixed on the spot he had previously been, as though she could still see his body resting peacefully beneath the ground. Not that she couldn't, but she knew better than to use Byakugan for that. It would only hurt her more.
"H-hinata...,"A soft, hesitant voice called. Hinata stiffened for a moment, clearing her voice for a moment before answering without glancing away from the grave. "Sakura-san, I'm sorry...,"She managed to whisper out. The pinkette slowly moved to stand beside her, her eyes instead glued to the description below the statue he had been given.
R.I.P.
Here lies
Naruto Uzumaki
(October 10th, XXX - October 10th, XXX)
.
Beloved Teammate
Son
Brother
Student
Teacher
Child of Prophecy
Hero of Konoha
Savior of This World
"It... It's okay... It wasn't your fault, Hinata,"Sakura murmured back, crouching down to brush her fingertips across the top of the grave one last time before leaving. Hinata could have sworn she heard Sakura whisper something else to herself as she left, but at that moment, the bluenette couldn't bring herself to care anymore. She didn't know how long she stood their, unmoving and numb. Neji and Hanabi had tried multiple times to convince her to come home, and at one point even her father had come along to get her to leave, but they had given up long ago. Then, long after the clearing had begun to bleed a warm red in the light of the setting sun, Hinata finally tore her gaze away from the grave itself, scanning the statue above it for the first time in the steadily-dying light
His grave was located separately from the others from the war, instead placed only a few miles from the memorial of the Fourth Hokage, where both of the blond's parent had been buried. The statue itself was carved out in his likeliness using ninjutsu, and Hinata felt a lump grow in her throat, tears pricking her eyes once again as she scanned it. The clothes he wore were tattered and torn, with the legs of his pants and one sleeve mostly burn off and the rest filled with holes, similar to how they had looked nearer to the end of the war. His skin was bruised and scraped, and dried tear tracks could be seen rolling down the cheeks far too naturally to be stone. A large sphere depicting the planet, twice as large as the body itself, was weighing down on the statue's shoulders, and fake muscles could be seen, tense and bulging along the arms, as it 'struggled' to keep it off the ground. The statue was on one knee, and stone flames licked around it's feet, but it's head was held high and it's face was carved into a confident, brave smirk.
Hinata felt her knees grow weak beneath her, collapsing down into the ground beneath her weakly. She chocked down a sob at the likeliness it shared with the one she had long fallen in love with. Darkness had finally fully claimed the clearing as the sun finished it's descent from the sky, and for the few minutes before the moon showed itself, Hinata sat quietly in the dim light, wishing it would swallow her like it had swallowed Naruto. Wishing it would take her to him.
The moonlight spread its cool, soft glow into the clearing, but Hinata didn't bother looking up from the hands she had used to cover her tears. Not until a warm, golden glow made it through the cracks between her fingers. Removing her hands from her face with a gasp, Hinata stared with wide, glassy eyes at the statue, the tears she had struggled so hard to hold back pouring down her cheeks in streams. She pushed her hands over her mouth to hold back a harsh cross between a sob and a sharp gasp that left her out of breath.
Beautiful flowers Hinata hadn't originally noticed were spreading open all around the statue, petals extending gracefully in the moonlight, the golden pollen flying into the air with a soft poof sound she knew normal flowers didn't make. Fireflies danced through the air, sending elegant shadows across the fire, as though it was alive, crackling and licking at the air. However, the most beautiful was Naruto's statue itself. Small crystals embedded in the stone glistened in the moonlight, making it glow beautifully.
Like the light he always was, shining in the darkness.
The light he never would be again.
Hinata did not leave the memorial that night. Her last thoughts were of Naruto, lying cold and dead and bloodied under the ground, as she fell into an uneasy sleep, tears still rolling down her cheeks and staining the dirt beneath her.
(1) Gaara did cry during the war, about his father and mother, which is why I said 'before this war'.
Awww! Isn't that sad? I hope I got a few tears outta you guys! And PS, I FAIL AT SPELLING! WOOT! GO BLONDIES! Wait, what? Why did I just write that?
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Oh shut up! I am not stupid! I was an A+ Student! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! ANNNNNDDDDDDDD moment of craziness over... Or is it? DUN DUN DUN!
Now, what do you guys think?! I was thinking later doing a time-skip about 4 years later, when Hinata's father was killed on a mission, and she is the clan leader! Yay for her! But GUESS WHAT!? She has been clan leader long enough that she should at least have a partner(Whether its just a boyfriend or a husband) by now, but she doesn't! The clan is getting anxious that they won't have an heir to lead the clan, and have gotten her into an arranged marriage! And you will either scream with joy or throw your computer out the window of your two story house and then run over it with a car! Then again, you might not be one of THOSE fan girls (no offense if you are. I'm definitely one of them). Can you guess who it will be? Oh wait, shouldn't that go in the panel above for a summary? Oh, and EVERYDAY I AM BECOMING MORE LIKE NARUTO, YA KNOW! *covers mouth and hides in corner sulking* Why do I keep doing that? I mean, at first I was just joking and pretending to talk like Naruto, ya know. And I ended up stuck with the habit of saying 'ya know' at the end of my sentences, ya know! ARRRRGGGGGGG STOP THAT! And wait, why don't I just delete it? *hits self in the head* Because you are supposed to be writing just what your saying, idiot! *hits self again* Oh god... I need a life... Anyone got a spare?
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